Sunday, August 8, 2010

Take a Look-See at This

I guess there's no avoiding the further collapse of RPG P&P with gadgets like these continuing to make their presence known to the tech-savvy younger generation.

Even Marvel Comics has electronic subscriptions. When I learned about the latter my reaction was, "Huh"? What happened to collecting and trading and being the first in line at the comic book store, and evaluation, etc.? Unreal. And in such a short time, as I am only 54 years of age and glowingly remember my own CB collections (Dr. Strange and Silver Surfer, Spectre and the Brave & the Bold!). [shakes head in disbelief]

Would it be cool to have a giant flatscreen for a tabletop with players' miniatures on it and the DM could throw a visual graphic right under them to show where they are and what they see?: probably.

It starts getting too close to narrating a video game, the closer it gets to being a fully emersive video environment, no?

Will we one day see a DM punching keys behind his screen, illuminating the table with monsters, traps, etc, while players franticly type on their pads to show what they are in turn doing to react to a given situation? I suppose if the technology performed smoothly enough, maybe we will. It takes a bit of the imagination aspect away, even while it is providing a clearer visual of what the DM & players describe to each other.

Overall, I am afraid of this tech-boom taking away from the social 'round table-ness of the play. It does have the potential to do great aid and harm to the genre at the same time.

I agree that in your case that electronic media can only be a benefit. As we have seen, however, this media is becoming a replacement technology for books and socializing, for actual physical contact and the exchange of ideas at the primary level of face-to-face interchange. Even though it has many merits such in your case, I wonder if its advance will indeed create a new breed of people that choose the easy way to "game" by pushing a button to summon electronic simulacrums of social interaction? Extending this out over the next 20 years, just as we have had to look at the past 20 years of the growth of the predominant CRPGs, then one might see some questions and concerns arising as I do.

I actually saw this several years ago, I believe. Maybe it's been re-released by the guys responsible?

Anyways, I can't see myself using it. I'm not going to buy somebody else's materials to use a giant, expensive touch screen, and I'm not enough of an artist to make my entire game visually appealing as well as decently written.

If this was a Ray Bradbury story about the impact of technology on RPGs, the protagonist would be struggling with the modern version of the game where players create autonamous character avatars and then just observe them interact with the avatars of other players without ever interacting face to face with another player.

Man, that's a long sentence.

I almost completely eschew the use of technology in my D&D game. As writing tools and preparation sure, but never in play.

That might just be because of the subject matter of the game though, fantastic sword and sorcery. I find e-toys jarring and dissonante pared with my pulpy medievalism.

I might be just fine with using such tools actively in a sci-fi game. I think it would fit then.

Yeah. I heard that news from elsewhere. I am all for players finding their niche--situations vary from person to person and some or all of these electronic methods may or may not fit each person in question.

What I do wonder about--and seemingly (historically) what way too many folks discuss in hindsight--are the strongly related issues of educational growth, social deprogramming, artistic/creative stagnation or reversal and submersion of imagination, all in varied degrees and instances as they relate to each electronic medium in different contexts.

I've been playing in a couple forms of online rpg for over ten years now. While you don't get some of the same fun of being with all your friends in the same room playing together, I still find it a lot of fun. We can play with friends across the country and the witty banter is still there but mostly in text form. (Though there is a bit less of it.) Currently, we use Fantasy Grounds to play Pathfinder with a friend of ours from Texas and another from Michigan. The pace of the game is different, but it's still fun and in some ways I think it can be more immersive than roleplaying in person if the group is full of good players who can write well.